


On With the Show

by Alessa_DC



Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Comics), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Trapped
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 22:10:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11678076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alessa_DC/pseuds/Alessa_DC
Summary: The turtles find themselves trapped, without knowledge of how they got there. But Leo has a plan to get them out. Or does he?Entry for the DA Writer's Nexus July challenge.





	On With the Show

Leonardo wakes partially submerged in frigid water, gasping involuntarily. He inhales a large mouthful of water and chokes violently. His body spasms into a fit of hacking, gagging coughs and the only thought that enters his mind is the need to draw oxygen into his lungs.

As soon as he's able to draw a breath, Leo distantly registers that his arm is trapped and he swings his eyes to the unmoving limb. It's suspended and chained to the wall, numb from being suspended for who knows how long. In fact, his toes and remaining fingers feel slightly numb too. Wherever he is, the water lapping at his lower extremities is very cold. Leo tugs at the chain with his free arm, but the bonds are far stronger than his meager attempt.

A persistent pain on the back of his head fights for attention over the overwhelming cold. Leo lifts his free hand to touch the sore spot, his fingers come away wet and sticky with blood. He stares dumbly at the floor trying to gather himself and his thoughts. He has no recollection of anything at the moment except leaving the lair with his brothers.

The rushing of water and distant voices starts to seep into the foreground of his consciousness. Someone is saying his name and this draws his gaze up and away from the water, the room spins dizzyingly. He finds three pairs of eyes watching him from the other side of the room.

"Leo! You're finally awake, bro!" Mikey says. His voice is hoarse and the hint of relief does not erase the look of fear Leo hates to see his brother wearing. It is the same one he had when he used to cry for his older brother as a child. The memory is raw and unbidden and it shakes Leo to the core, as those those glimpses always do. For a moment he remembers Mikey with his silky black hair and chubby cheeks streaked with tears.

"Took ya long enough, fearless," Raph adds claiming the leader's attention. "Ya ok? You don't look too good. Ya had us worried over here."

"We've been trying to wake you up for a while but you were not responding at all," Donatello says. The genius turtle is visibly shivering from the cold and looks about as haggard as he does after pulling an all-nighter.

"I'm sorry…" Leo says slowly. "Are you all ok?"

"As fine as we can be, considering the situation," Donatello answers and pulls on the shackles to emphasize his point.

"Can someone tell me what happened?" Leonardo looks to his brothers to fill in the gaps for him. As he listens, the leader begins to scan the room cataloguing any potential exits, immediate danger, and any other information that might be of importance. Water is lapping at his knees now and it seems to be coming in through several portholes near the floor. The room is large and empty save for some frayed ropes, rotting crates, and abandoned fishing nets.

While he's taking in their surroundings, he hears Mikey say, "I wish I could tell you, bro. One minute we're fighting Purple Dragons then the next we're being hauled in here."

"I think we were gassed with some sort of sleeping agent, because none of us can really remember what happened after the fight in the warehouse…" Don pauses, "And I'm feeling sick to my stomach."

"Ya better not puke, Donny."

"I'll try my best not to Raph," Donatello responds and they exchange glares.

"We're on a boat?" Leonardo gives voice to the obvious conclusion. The room reeks of putrid fish and mildew. The smell is pungent and oppressive. No wonder Donnie feels like vomiting. "Why-?"

"The bastards think they can drown us," Raph says as the water continues pouring in.

"It's cold in here," Mikey cuts in, trying in vain to wrap his arms around himself.

Leonardo turns his attention back to the chains and shackles keeping him secured to the spot. He wraps a hand around the rusty metal and pulls again, hoping to make a better go at it this time. Despite the worn look of the chain and metal anchor on the wall, they are study. He changes course and tries to push the cuff over his wrist. No luck.

"Do you guys have any more give than I do?" Leonardo asks. Raphael yanks on the chains and manages to take a few steps. He maneuvers himself enough to brace one foot against the wall and pushes off the solid surface while pulling on the chains. He only manages to tear his skin and yells loudly in frustration.

"We've tried picking the locks, but my kit broke," Mikey tells Leo.

Donatello also adds that he studied the lock, chains, and anchor properly but could not find any point of weakness that would allow him to free himself. "I'm not sure what to do, Leo. I don't see anything that's helpful in prying these off or breaking them."

The water level is rising and it's now lapping at Leonardo's thighs. He has never done well in the cold. None of them have. The lower temperatures tend to slow their movements and reactions.

A glint of something under the water catches his eye. He frowns and tries to make out the object beneath the dark surface of the water.

"There's something, on the ground-" he says. His brothers follow his line of sight but can barely make out anything.

"What is it?" Mikey asks.

"M'not sure. Let me see if I can reach it." Leonardo extends his free arm as far as it will go, the chains pulling taut on his other arm. His fingertips brush something hard and smooth but he can't wrap his fingers around it. "Come on…" he grunts with the effort.

The brothers wait, hoping for a bit of luck.

"Almost got it…," Leo says. With the way his body is shivering it's hard to keep his hand steady enough to grab the object.

"This is pointless! We're gettin' out of here!" Raphael declares, desperation heavy with each word. He grunts loudly as he tries to push the metal cuff off his wrist again. The red-banded turtle has a bit more mobility than Leo and the leader holds on to hope that his brother can do it.

The water is steadily rising and covering the lower scutes of Leo's plastron. His tail pulls tighter against his body on instinct. The blue-banded terrapin angles his body and reaches out with his foot. He manages to hook his toes on to the metal object. As soon as he touches it, he recognizes it as the hilt of a sword and pulls it close enough to grab. "Got it!" As the blade rises out of the water, Leo realizes that it is one of his own - Kamiizumi - and there are keys neatly tied to the hilt of the weapon. It seems like someone is toying with them.

"Are those keys?" Donatello asks from across the room, his keen eyes immediately zeroing in on them.

Leo nods and unties them with some difficulty, careful not to drop them underwater.

"Why tha hell would they just leave keys there?"

"I don't know, Raph," Leo responds. Mikey looks hopeful as his brother tries each key on the lock on his cuff. The reality that none of the keys work sets in quickly.

"What the fuck?!" Raph yells loudly.

"They must belong to your cuffs," Leo tries to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He has to remain strong, calm, even as his mind runs out of options and his body slowly shuts down.

Suddenly the boat lurches making them all yell in surprise. The leader nearly loses his grip on the sword and the keys but manages to hold on after fumbling for a minute. The water begins to rush in to the room at a much higher volume.

"At this pace, we won't have much time," says Donatello. His voice wavers as he shivers more violently and Mikey whimpers in response.

Leonardo tucks the keys carefully into his belt and raises his sword. He tries to keep his hand steady as he aims and strikes the chain with the blade. There are tiny sparks when the metals meet but no other visible effect. He does it again and again with no result. The water has risen past his abdomen and is at chest-level now. Leo finds he is having trouble coordinating his moves and it is becoming harder to take normal breaths. On the other side of the room he can hear Raph growling and cussing. He looks up to see the blood flowing freely down the brawny turtle's hand and arm.

"How's it going over there, bro?" Mikey asks Leo hopefully.

"J-just let me try this a couple more times," Leo responds. The sword is having no effect on the chain. He's the only one with a weapon and if they don't get out of here soon, they're all going to drown. Their mutation may give them an advantage underwater but it's only temporary. "R-Raph?"

"Fuck!! I got like an inch," he tells Leo.

The boat gives another forceful lurch, groaning under the pressure of the water. The sound vibrates all around them and the floor shudders under their feet.

Leo gasps. He looks at the sword and wonders if he could swing his blade with enough force, despite the water, to cut through flesh and bone. He grows quiet as he analyzes their options. Time is running out and once he's free, he will still need to unlock each of his brothers' cuffs. The decision needs to be made now and there is simply no other choice.

"What's the plan Leo?!" Raph asks. The desperation has moved on and fear has set in.

"Hang on. I think I've g-got an idea," Leo says haltingly. Raph looks up and catches his brother's gaze. "Raph, once I do this and get you out, you need to get Mikey and Donnie out ok?" His voice sounds strained and wavering as his breaths come out in short pants. "We won't have time to do other stuff. You cannot get distracted."

"Alright… What the hell am I gonna get distracted with?" Ralph responds slowly. "What're ya gonna do?"

"Do you understand?" Leo insists ignoring Raph's question.

"Yeah I got it!"

Leonardo turns back, the water nearing his chin now, and holds the sword up high over his arm. He feels like he can't breathe, like the cold is squeezing everything out of him. All around it grows quiet and Leo narrows his focus on the task before him. One strong swipe and one clean cut. That's all he needs.

Realizing what his plan is, his brothers all cry in unison, "Noooo!!"

"Don’t'cha fucking dare, Leo!" Raph calls angrily. "Throw me the keys!"

Leo freezes. Sword raised. He looks at Raph over his shoulder, "This is the only way, Raph!"

"Throw me the goddamn keys!" The red banded turtle repeats. He's standing on his tiptoes trying to hold his head above water.

"I can't! My hands- They're are shaking too much. I could miss…"

"Ok, how 'bout you keep the chopping for plan B?"

"You won't miss! You can do it, Leo!" Mikey calls and Leo thinks his little brother's faith in him is misplaced. He turns back to the task at hand, tuning out his brothers' voices.

"Leo!" Raph yells. The rest of his words drown in the rushing water - or is it Leo's own brain refusing to listen?

The turtle in blue takes a deep breath in, as much as his strained body will allow, and swings the blade aimed at his trapped limb. In his mind, the blade cuts a perfect arc, but the resulting sound is wrong. Tink, metal striking. It's not the soft thud of sinking into flesh that Leo recognizes too well. And still, blood spreads around him, blooming in the water like a flower.

Suddenly Raph is there, yelling at Leo, something angry and indistinct. His brother's hand looks _not right_ and bloody. Leo is horrified at the sight. He is going to drown in his brother's own blood. Raph reaches into the leader's belt and takes the keys, along with the sword.

Leonardo finally sinks below the surface and the world becomes murky, muted. He still can't feel the arm that's trapped and the numbness has spread to other parts of his body. He loses track of time until three pairs of hands pull him away. It feels like they're dragging him down as darkness closes in around him.

  
***

  
Leonardo wakes to find himself on the floor, déjà vu. He hears Donatello's voice speaking to someone, "-likely has a concussion. And probably some degree of hypothermia." His head lolls to the side and he catches sight of human feet. Small and feminine. 'Must be April' his mind offers up the obvious conclusion. Raph and Mikey appear in his line of sight hovering over him.

"Hey, you're back!" Mikey calls with a big smile.

"What happened?" Leo asks. He feels confused and his memory is hazy at best. He remembers the boat and being so cold. "Did I get us out?"

"Nah," Raphael holds up his hand, bandaged from wrist to elbow. "Messed up my hand pretty good, but it's better than losing a fucking arm."

"What?" Leonardo reaches out and touches the bandages on Raph's arm. As he does, Leo notices a metal cuff tightly locked around his wrist.

"Dude! You were going to cut off your arm, for us. Which is kinda sweet, but a little crazy." Mikey gives him a lopsided smile and places a comforting hand on Leo's forehead.

"Yeah, Don said ya weren't thinking straight," Raphael frowns and squeezes Leo's arm in return. He omits the fact that Leo wouldn't relinquish the keys that ultimately allowed them to be free or that they had to wrestle him to pry him, with their combined strength, out of their sinking prison. There are some things his brother doesn't need to know. "Is that alright if I take the credit for today?" he smiles, teasing his big brother a bit. Leo smiles in return and his eyelids slip shut. Mikey and Raph exchange a look and settle in next to their brother.

Soon enough, April, Alopex, and Angel are crowding around too while all four brothers huddle together under large grey blankets, relishing in the fact that they all made it out alive and whole.

Elsewhere, a king of vermin gulps his treat, the wiry tail of his victim the last to disappear into his crooked maw, and smiles at the little show his pawns put on today. He claps his hands in sheer pleasure and his face twists into a crooked smile of rotting teeth. Even if the blue one didn't lose a limb - _pity_ \- it was still a delight to watch these four spectacular beings and their very human tragedy unfold. It thrilled this king to no end and already he was devising what he could do next.


End file.
